Libya (Arabic: ليبيا Lībiyā), officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الإشتراكية العظمى), is a country in Northern Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it is located between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. Slightly larger than Alaska, Libya is the fourth largest nation in Africa and the 17th largest in the world.U.N. Demographic Yearbook, (2003), Demographic Yearbook (3) Pop., Rate of Pop. Increase, Surface Area & Density, United Nations Statistics Division, Accessed July 15 2006 Its capital city, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of its 5.8 million people. The three traditional sections of the country are Tripolitania, the Fezzan and Cyrenaica.

The name "Libya" derives from the Egyptian term "Lebu", referring to Berber peoples living west of the Nile, and adopted into Greek as "Libya". In ancient Greece, the term had a broader meaning, encompassing all of North Africa west of Egypt, and sometimes referring to the entire continent of Africa.

With among the largest proven oil reserves in the world,Oil & Gas Journal, (Dec 10, 2004), Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 102, No. 47, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Accessed July 15 2006 Libya has the strongest per capita economy in North Africa, as well as one of the largest per capita GDPs in Africa.World Economic Outlook Database, (April, 2006), Report for Selected Countries and Subjects, International Monetary Fund, Accessed July 15 2006 With an area of 1.8 million square kilometres, 90% of which is desert, Libya is led by revolutionary Col. Muammar Qadhafi, one of the most well-known political figures of the 20th century.The Brunei Gallery, (2002), "Scenes from Libya", SOAS, University of London, Accessed July 15 2006